Hi Matt,
to the forum! How did you find out about us? (sorry, just doing some market research
)
"Astronomy 2005" is an excellent almanac with details about what's happening in the sky each month in 2005.. some of the info is pretty advanced, but there's some nice simply sky charts there too which can be as a simple as "look north on the 8th january and look for the comet maccholz next to the pleaides". It's only $20 or so depending on where you buy, so I reckon it's a very good resource and it's like the bible for southerners.
There's also a tonne of websites with info for new people into astronomy, go searching and you'll find a wealth of information.
And then of course there's here.. the IceInSpace forums.. just post your questions and there's a line of people here willing to help you with an answer. Don't feel that any question is too simple or basic.. we're here to help, and astronomy can be a steep learning curve, so take any chance you get to receive a helping hand, it simply means you'll learn quicker and get to the good stuff quicker!
Is that Tasco on an EQ mount or is it Alt-az? I've seen quite a few of them about, it should give some good views for you of the planets and moon and brighter DSO's.
You should also look at buying a reasonable pair of binoculars, something like 7x50, 10x50 or higher. They are great for people starting out in skygazing, and can be handy for terrestrial use too of course!
Anyway hope to see you back here some more!